Towns near London with easy/fast public transport to London?

In all honesty by the time you factor in the cost of travel you probably won't be saving much money and you will be using up quite a bit of time.

What kind of budget are you looking at and how much time are you happy to spend travelling.

Are you sure that wouldn't be a false economy, given the cost in both time and money for a commute in both directions every day?
Have you looked at booking sites like booking.com that allow you to filter for budget? If you are willing to give us your accommodations budget (in £s), some of our members may be able to suggest places closer in.

Yes, please do tell us your budget. I agree with Emma, that the time and cost of traveling back and forth to London may not be worth it. You may want to look outside of Zone 1 though. I stayed in Hammersmith last year and it was cheap, convenient, safe and nice. Check out the Premier Inn chain. No frills but clean, safe and a comfortable bed.

Let us know any other parameters you have for the hotel - AC, lift/elevator, etc. How many people. We can help pointing you in the right direction. Have a great trip!

Have a look at the premier inn website. www.premierinn.com The further ahead you can book the cheaper it would likely be.

As mentioned, the time and cost of travelling into central London can outweigh the saving on accommodation.

There are 4 of us traveling, so yes, you're probably right about the cost-benefits of being able to walk directly to sites vs. taking a bus every day. I would like to keep nightly cost under $300/night but I don't think that's realistic given the prices I see.

Regardless of where you stay, I doubt you will be able to walk to everything. London is big and spread out.

When are you planning to travel?

Four people? All Adults? Some Kids? If kids, ages.

$300 for 4 people?

Have a look at Premier Inn. Use the map view to see costs at various locations around London. Depending on your travel dates you might something that works. Ealing has good transport links and the PI there is usually well priced.

If you go out further than the London transport zones you will be paying a lot for travel especially if you want to travel in rush hour on peak trains. You mention the bus. It will be extremely slow to bus into London from a town outside. That would be a real waste of your time.

London is big and you will not be able to walk everywhere no matter where you stay, but if you try to get within zones 1-2 it’s capped at £8.90; 1-3 £10.50 per day. Zone 5/6 and you’re looking at £15-16 per person per day so you can see how it will add up.

A town outside London, eg St Albans, will cost you over £20 return on the train just to get to London, then you’ll also need to pay for travel within London. Not economical.

I have often used the Premier Inn at Ealing Broadway, a five minute walk from Ealing Broadway Station where you can pick up the Central and District Tube lines and also the Elizabeth Line which will take you to and from Heathrow and central London in 15 minutes. I see prices next week for £70 a room.

My kids are teenagers. And yes, we plan to take the tube to get around London.

I will check out Premier Hotels and see if I can find something. Unfortunately, we're coming in August so the price everywhere will be high.

If you are looking in some of the outer boroughs of London, I would look at places close to the Elizabeth Line- extremely fast to get into central London.

PI Hammersmith and Ealing Broadway should be in budget for 2 rooms at around £100 a night per room. Either location would work well.

And Premier Inns do have air conditioning.

Thank you all for your help.

Verify that air conditioning is available at the specific Premier Inn(s) you're interested in. I think there are a few without a/c.

The ages of the teenagers will make a difference.

The Radisson Blu South Kensington near the Gloucester Road Station might have a family room in your budget.

If the teens are older, get 2 rooms (2 bathrooms!!). Ibis Styles Gloucester Road is near your budget. Or the Premier Inn Kensington near Earl's Court Station.

The Earl's Court Station and the Gloucester Road Station are both on the Piccadilly Line to/from Heathrow and the convenient District Line. Gloucester Road Station also has the Circle Line.